The invention relates to an automatic packing machine, especially for orienting an object such as a package of corrugated cardboard containing something packed therein so that such a box may be easily banded as required.
It has been generally known that a corrugated cardboard package is banded with the modes such as a single banding mode as shown in FIG. 4-A, a double parallel banding mode as shown in FIG. 4-B, a cross banding mode as shown in FIG. 4-C, a crossed single and double parallel banding mode as shown in FIG. 4-D, a crossed double parallel banding mode as shown in FIG. 4-E, etc. According to the conventional packing machine, it is required that the package is manually oriented on the machine in accordance with the banding modes as mentioned above. Namely in reference to the banding mode as shown in FIGS. 4-C through FIG. 4-E which require banding in two directions, that is, the lateral and longitudinal directions, the packing machine M is operated to and the package in one direction thereof and then the package is required to be manually oriented so that the package may be banded in the other direction.
More precisely, according to the conventional packing machine having no turnable or rotatable oriented device provided therewith, it is required that the machine operator manually orient the package by turning the same on a machine table so that the package may be banded in a desired type.
FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a conventional automatic packing machine having a turnable or rotatable oriented device, and FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the above mentioned packing machine. The packing machine 1 is composed substantially of a banding device 2 for winding a band around a package to be banded, and welding and subsequently cutting the band, a transporting device 3 for transporting the package to the banding device 2 and then transporting the banded package away from the banding device and a driving device 4, which is not particularly illustrated, for driving the banding device and the transporting device 3.
The banding device 2 is composed of an arched guide gate 6 fixedly mounted on a table 5 of the machine 1, a welding part 7 for welding the superposed parts of the band under the table 5 and a cutting part 8 for cutting the band at the part thereof adjacent the welded part on the side of the band supply.
The transporting device 3 is composed of a pair of conveyers 9, provided on the table 5 defining a path 10 extending past the guide gate 6. The banding device 2 is provided in the package transporting path 10 and an orienting device 11 is provided above the banding device 2. The orienting device is turnable in a horizontal plane and includes a pair of arms 12 extended down toward the transporting path 10 for holding and orienting the package on the transporting path 10. The orienting device 11 is operated to turn the package W by 90.degree. to thereby orient and position the package W with respect to the banding device 2 so that the latter may band the package W with the cross banding mode or the crossed single and double parallel banding mode.
However, the conventional automatic packing machine includes problems to be solved in its operation which is extremely limited for dealing with the package. Especially since the rubber belt conveyers are located on a level higher than the level of the table, which prevents the packing machine from smoothly turning the package on the table considerably detracting from the operation efficiency. Moreover this will inevitably damage the belt conveyers. Further the holding arms 12 often injure the package and fail to correctly position the package at a predetermined place. Further the holding arms are designed to hold up the package from the table and then turn the package, and therefore a considerable load is applied to the arms as well as to the package to be held by the arms.